Circuit-breaker.



H. L. VAN VALKENBURG.

GIRGUIT BREAKEB. APPLIOATION'PILED snm'. 14; 1905.

Attorney/- UNITED smiles PATENT Ormea.

HERMON L. .VANJVALKNBUBQ or Nonwoon, omo, sssreivon To Tris Boxmeer: Etno- '.rRIoMANUFAcTUmNo COMPANY, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, llnRMoN L. VANl VALKENBURG, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Norwood, in the county of Hamilton and State ot Ohio, yhave invented cer- Vtain 'new and useful Improvements in Circonstruction and operation, and which will still be durable and elective. My invention consists of the details of construction and combinations of .elements described in the speciicationand set` forth in the appended claim.

For a more completeA understanding-of my invention reference is had to theI accompanying drawings in which* l Figurel is an elevation of my circuit breaker with parts broken away for the sake of elearness, the circuit breaker being in this instance shown attached toa portion of a switch-board panel. .F-ig. l2 is a section of my circuit breaker along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing in detail the 'eontact members.

-Referring to thegures of the drawings l I have shown at 10 a portion of a switchboard panelto the front of which is attached',by bolts 11, a supporting bracket 12. The bolts lll'engjige ears 13 on each side of the supporting bracket. The bracket is made of `cast metal and has a rear wall 14 adapted to bear against the switch-board, two upper vertical arms or ears .l5 and two lower horizontal arms orears 16.

Mounted Ona horizontal pin 17 between the arxnsl is a pivoted blade 13, made of good conducting material, and having an upper wedge-shaped Contact portion 19.

AThe blade has anvupwardly and forwardly extending handle 20, by means of which it may be opened or closed at will. At the lowei` part of the blade there are two rea wardly extending lingers or lugs 22 betwee which is mounted a pin 23 carrying a roller or sleeve 211. y

'l 'Mounted on a pin'26 between the vertical arms 15 and at the rear of pin 1.7 is the tripping latch 'or trigger 27. This latch consists preferably of two bellcrank shaped arms 28, made from sheet metal punchings.

Specification on Letters Patent.

Patented nee. 5, 1911.

Application led September f1.4, 1905. Serial No. 278,489.

The lower-ends of the punchings are spaced apart, 1n`th1s case, by a steel pin or rod 29 f. having expanded or riveted ends. The upper ends of the two side members 28 are each vpreferably provided Awith a nose or hook and 'are spacedapartfby' bar of steel 30 held to the side members by pins' 31. As is shown by the drawing, the.' upper end of the. latch is adapted to engage the roller 24: at the lower rear end of the blade 18.150 hold the latter in closed position. A small spring 32, mounted On the bracket 12, bears against the upper'end of the latch to normally hold the ,latch -a-nd roller 24 in engagement. Mountedonthe' pins 17 vis a coil-spring 33, one end of which engages the switch-blade and the otherv end ofV which engagesthestationary pin 26. yThis spring is put under strainwhen'the blade-is closed and is adapted to throw the blade into the open position,

or to open the circuit, when the latch is i any suitable material is the tripping solenoid coil 34. A metal plate '36 preferably v'screwed to the lower' end of the vtube 35, while insulationj37 inthe shape'of a spool supports'the coil and separates it from the tube, the upper arm 16vand the plate 36. The end disks of the insulation 37 are preferably screwed to the ends of the tube.

' A washer 38 in this case separates the metal plate 36 from the insulation 37. Screws 39 'hold the plate 36 to the lower arm 16 as shown in Fig. 1.., thus holding the coil 34 and its associated parts in place.

The solenoid core is shown at 40 and carries at its upper end a pin 41, preferably of? non-magnetic material, adapted to engage the tripping latch, and is hollowed out at itsv lower end, as at 41, to receive the ,adjusting screw 42. The core ot the solenoid is made of any suitable magnet-.ic -material- The core-adjusting device is supported in this case by a U-shaped strap or stirrup fastened to the under side of the lower arm or extension 16 by the screws 39. The adjusting screw 42 is provided with a knul-led head 4:4 and a collar 45, the latter being secured to the screw by a pin 1-6. By means ot' the head M and collar 45, the screw is held in position against longitudinal movement, but can be turned'in the strap at will. Mounted on the screw 42 and engaging the sides of the U- solenoid core. The pui-tufee ot' this plate to accentuate the latter part of the stroke ot the core or to `gire the core a. quick positive movement at the inatant the pin Lll strikes the latch to releaee the blade. rthis plate accomplishes the desired result in the following manner: Normali,T an(` while the plate and core are in the lower position the lines of torce pass across the air-jap separatingthe core from the plate and the lower extension lt. .As the current passino' through the coil is: increased above a pre-determined amount, 'the core will be drawn up into thev l coil in the usual manner. 'lhe metal plate 4S is so arranged on the core mat et betere the core reaches its uppermost position the plate 48 approaches so near to the lower ctctension lo that the magnetic reluctance bctweeu the plate i8 and extension l@ is very low, and it desired the air-gap cau be made so small that the rolt ctance will be less th: n the reli'ictance of th; air-gap separatingA the core and the plate 1G. lt will thus be seen that just before the pin at the top of the core Strikes the holding latch the plate Ll-S enters the magnetic tield and causes the core to be moved quickly and posimely upward, whereby the latch will be struck with sufficient torce to release the blade.

.flhothcr important teature ot my invention is the arranejiaucnt and shape of' the contact. faces. As waa stated above the contact blade provided with ay wedgeehaped contact portion l), The statifmary contact or jaw consiets ot a piece ot tiexible, goed conducting material 47) having inclined laces 50, which are adapted to be engaged by the inclined facce ot the contact portion l) of the blade. Secured to the upper end of the blade by means of screws 5l the arcing tip 52. Extending upward from the stationary Contact is the spring men'iber 53 h: ving` an arciirg` tip Secured thereto by screws :35. rl`he faces oi' the main contacts and arcing tips are eo inclined, or the angle ot contact is such that the force tending' to separate ldie contact members is almost balanced by the l force et i'riction tendingt to hold the memi bers in engagement. The result ot.' this ary rangement. of contact faces is. that the 1nembers ill be held in firm engagement when l the switch blade -is closed, while but little force will be required to open or close he l blade. The angle of contact is preferably so chosen that the torce tending` to separate the contacts al 'aye slightly greater than the force ot' friction tending to hold the contacts together. Allowance mustbe-made for the ima-cased coeiiicient oiI 'ziction due to pitting' or roughening ilrom-usc.

The szuiunary Contact member 49 is' held i to the switch-board panel by the bolt 5G l which forms one terminal of the circuit breaker. rlhc other terminal et the circuit breaker is the bolt or rod 57, which extends through the switch-lmard panel and is connected at 5S to one terminal of the solenoid coil. rhe other terminal of the solenoid coil connected ae at 5) to the flexible shunt G0, which shunt is attached to the switch blade i by screws lll.y

Thur it is Seen that my circuit breaker is l simple in cmistruction and can be easily and cheaply made but sullieiently durable t'or all purposes. The circuit breaker herein shown and 'scribed may be modified so far its construction and arrangement are concerned without departing from the spirit ot' my invention and aim in the appended. claim to cm'er all such modifications.

lll hat l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In ay circuitbroker, an insulating support, a stationary Contact jaw mounted on the insulatingr support, a contact blade piroted at its lower end below the'stationary contact jaw and having a rearwardly @Y-l tendingf nose or projection adjacent the pivotal center-of the bl ade, a. bellcrank holding latch pireted below the Contact blade and haring an upwardly extending member adapted to engage the nose or projection and alsd haring a forwardly extending portion the end of which is approximately vertically below the pivotal center ot the blade, and a tripping magnet. supported below the holding latch and having a vertically movable core the upper end ot which is adapted to engage the end ot' the holdinglatch.

In testimony whereofl atlix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

llEltwlON L. VAN VALKENBURG.

lVitnesses Annina l?. Kwis, FRED J. Kust-1r. 

